If your mobile phone is running the Symbian operating system, you could be vulnerable to a new Trojan horse program, contained in an illegally adapted version of the game Mosquitos.
Downloaders Beware
The pirated game, dubbed Mosquitos v2.0, can be found on 'warez' Web sites (illegal software download sites) and on peer-to-peer (P-2-P) networks, according to Symbian representatives. They say that during game play, the Trojan may cause the phone to send text messages to premium rate numbers in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, without the user's approval or knowledge.
The cracked Mosquitos game runs only on phones using the Series 60 User Interface platform. After the game is loaded, the startup screen--which most users tend to breeze past without reading--clearly notes that the affected version of Mosquitos "has been cracked by Soddom Bin Loader."
Users can remove the Trojan simply by uninstalling the game, says Symbian. The company also says phones that use the UIQ user interface platform (from Sony Ericsson and Motorola) will be unaffected by the Trojan.
New Targets
The emergence of the Mosquitos Trojan emphasizes that mobile phones users need to be aware of the risks of downloading and installing illegal or pirated software, Symbian notes.
Although vendors and security experts have warned for years that viruses will make their way from PCs to mobile devices, only a few such pests have yet appeared in the wild. However, earlier in August, antivirus firms reported finding a virus that attacks personal digital assistants running the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system.
Users should download software only from trusted sources, particularly those carrying the Symbian Signed certification which validates the identity of the application's developer, Symbian advises on its Web site about the Trojan.
Ad Choices